The power of suggestion can make you see a crocodile in a cloud, the face of Jesus on a brick wall or believe a doll's gibberish to be actual words.

The human brain - hardwired to make sense of things it doesn't understand - can make sense of anything, even nonsense.

Case in point: two women in Mitchell responded to a story they heard about a doll saying "Islam is the light" by demanding that retailers pull the Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo doll from store shelves. Three Mitchell retailers did so.

The story about the talking doll got its legs in October after Fox reported some parents were "outraged" by the phrase they heard coming from the $20 toy. Since then it has spread to media far around the epicenter of the first reports of the story - Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. The story has gathered some steam, making its way to local newspapers, our own included.

It's much ado about nothing. Most of the sounds from the doll are gibberish and unintelligible. There is a moment when the doll does seem to utter some words, but it's not clear what it is saying - cheap voice chips. But the story is a case study in the power of suggestion. You would not know what the baby was saying - if anything - if you listened to it. But once told what to listen for, you may nod your head and say 'Yeah, that's what it may sound like.'

Some parents are up in arms, fearing the doll's nonsensical ramblings will brainwash their impressionable youngsters.

That's doubtful. The Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo is only saying "Islam is the light" to those who have been told that's what they're hearing. It's doubtful youngsters have been told to do so, and therefore, they hear nothing of the kind.

Besides, if the phrase "Islam is the light" is considered offensive, we should ask ourselves why we feel that way. The most powerful response people should have to the doll is not to be offended, but simply to not buy one.

A good story about corporate cover-ups and international plots is great dinner table talk and interesting one-day news stories. But the doll story is simply about the power of suggestion and the public's willingness to be led (or is that misled?) by a vocal minority.

This isn't the first time a "talking" doll has been suspected of saying something some considered offensive and it won't be the last. The public will hear what it wants to hear, and what it has been told it's hearing.

The challenge is to decide what, and who, we are going to listen to.